Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, one bed, and one (crumbling) French castle. Two enemies-at-first-sight. The holiday of a lifetime what could go wrong? I’m completely OBSESSED with this book!! It quickly became one of my favorite books while still in the process of reading it. The plot is incredibly well done, like it all came full circle and was so beautiful. The setting of Annecy, France where the book takes place is just so magical and it makes the book so beautiful to read. There’s so much imagery and well written scenes in this book. I love Merry and Noah’s characters. They both have gone through so much. This book was a total surprise and I’m so happy I got the chance to read it because I think it finally got me out of my reading slump by being such an incredible surprise!
Thank you Sarah Ready and NetGalley for this eArc!

This is a hybrid review, since I was approved by the author, publishers and NetGalley for the print and audio versions of this novel. That made it easy to toggle between the two and enjoy two approaches.

I very much enjoyed this story, it's a classic escapist fantasy. I suppose there are many hr specialists who haven't had to work through a major downsizing, but really, that is part of the job and will happen many times over a career. I felt for our heroine and cheered for her as she quit her job and ran to France. The familiar trope of "hate turns to love" is approached well in Ms. Ready's version, complicated by her unrequited love for her best male friend who just married her perfect younger sister. Yikes! The slow burn and the emotional growth for each of the couple was satisfying and of course led, not without twists and turns, to a satisfying completion.

I laughed a number of times at the romantic fantasy elements. . . the rundown "castle" infested with bats and rats, with but one bedroom to share and no bed after some animal activity. We glossed right past the issues of heating water for coffee and bathing, much less food, on a wood-burning stove, being able to bring enough candles and lanterns to light the way, And how did they do dishes? But in the end none of that mattered, because it is France and we just don't worry about those kinds of things in our romance. I was happy to buy into every minute of it! 4 stars for the book and audiobook.

Oops she did it again!

I absolutely loved it. I've read this book by one sitting and I just couldn't put it down. I had to know what will happen.

The way Sarah Ready describes feeling... my poor heart. The first 50 pages I had a literal heartache. Then I got wooed with funny scenes 🐀🦞 and cute interactions between Noah and Merry. And of course somewhere on the way I also cried. Perfection.

I love the fact that despite great romance, we also got a secret to solve. Mystery about ghost, artist and priorities. Is pride more important than love?

Now I have a problem, because honestly I can't choose between Noah and Josh from "Josh and Gemma Make A Baby". I guess that I'll just have to live them both 🖤.

As I mentioned Sarah Ready did it again. She holds my heart in her hands and I love every single one of her books that I've read. I have high expectations and somehow I'm always being positively surprised! Can't wait for her next book!

I received the book from NetGalley in exchange of honest review.

Thank you Sarah Ready, NetGallery and. Swift & Lewis Publishing for the eARC of French Holiday. Cute romcom, with a few mystery twists that I was not expecting. Some of this book was a bit cheesy (Louis, the rat and bugs) but overall I enjoyed the character development.

The setting, French Countryside, makes me want to rent a castle and eat all the cheese and crusty bread. Loved the way she ended the book.

I really liked this book, but thought it started off a little slow. The characters were interesting and fun. Merry was a bit obvious about her crush on Leo, and hence Noah's animosity. This is a sort of enemies to lovers book. Merry and Noah end up sharing a delipidated castle. This book has a bit of mystery, romance, and wine (loved the descriptions). 4 stars I’ll recommend to others!

Come for the French chateau setting and enemies-to-lovers set up, stay for the allusions to Gothic novels of the past! This is a fun and surprising modern take on the Victorian Gothic novel. Who can't relate to the feeling of needing to escape your life for a bit? Maybe you can't quit your job and move to a castle in France, but reading French Holiday gives you a little piece of that escape. You'll take in the French countryside and small town charm right along with Merry as Noah's brooding charm stirs up romance and mystery. By the end of the book, I felt like I had been on vacation!

Sarah Ready has easily become an auto read author for me since Josh and Gemma. So I was happy to be able to review French Holiday through #netgalley especially since this was a bit of a lighter read yet not lacking in depth.
The characters were likeable although I did not feel as much with them as with Josh and Gemma but I blame the pacing for this. Every time I felt that we were getting somewhere and it was building up to something there was an interruption which sometimes made me think if there were just too many subplots going on. Pierre and Camille could have easily filled a whole novel themselves (I would be happy to read that) and Merrys sisters story probably could do the same although I doubt I would like Angela. Now this was really the only downside for me. I liked Merry and Noah. I liked the funny scenes (Louis will forever be my favourite lobster) and I liked seeing Noah’s story unfold. Overall this was a great enemies to friends to lovers story.

From picturesque vineyards to charming cobblestone streets, Merry thought her French holiday would be straight out of a movie - until she realizes her dream chateau turned out to be a crumbling castle for cat-sized rats and a vengeful lobster. To make matters worse, she has to share it with Noah; a famous travel documentarian, and Merry's least favorite person.

Full disclosure: I don't read a lot of contemporary romance, but boy was I in for a treat. It's the perfect concoction of love, laughter, gorgeous scenery, and a dash of mystery. I mean, the scene when Merry peels the grape in front of Pierre? I think that has to be the first time a book made me laugh out loud. The dynamic between Noah and Merry was spot on, and their sunshine vs. grumpy banter was super charming, and often entertaining too thanks to Merry being such a goofball.

My only complaint is that the writing can get a bit long-winded at times. It does fit Merry's character, but personally, I found it a bit much. But honestly, that's just a minor quibble in what is otherwise a delightful read. This book is definitely a must-read for anyone who needs a dose of feel-good vibes in their life!

I really liked this book. It was recommended to me by a friend. I’m so glad I read this one. It was amazing. Very well written story. I will definitely be rereading this book again in the near future and I will add it to my library

French Holiday is a heartfelt and funny enemies to lovers romance. When Merry’s sister marries Leo (Merry’s best friend who she’s been secretly in love with for years) Merry needs a change of scenery and a fresh start. Her godmother Juniper sends her to look after her chateau in the French countryside but fails to mention she also rented the chateau to travel documentarian Noah Wright. Noah just happens to be Leo’s other best friend and Merry’s sworn enemy. The chateau is in disrepair, and there’s Only One Bed. As Noah and Merry get to know each other better, they realize that there’s more to each of them than they ever imagined. Featuring a colorful supporting cast from their French neighbors living their own love story, a mysterious painter and his lover, and a feisty lobster named Louis, French Holiday is ultimately a very satisfying romance read. I’d recommend to all fans of the genre!

This was a lovely story. I don’t know if the cover quite fits with the vibe and amount of serious plot points, but I was pleasantly surprised. I liked both the main characters and the romantic tension between them is great. The enjoyed the way the author really makes the characters’ felt, s much so that when Merry is feeling very unwanted, it made me teary. The story got pretty predictable towards the end (the bit wit Leo especially), but I didn’t mind. I liked the bit of a mystery involving Noah’s parents. It really added the right amount of extra plot so things revolve 100% around the romance. This is another one of those books where many of the main characters really need therapy for their childhood trauma, but those issues are somehow resolved by the end of the story (through the “power of love”, or a couple tough conversations), which I don’t love. Overall, this was just a fun book to read, which is the most I can ask for.
Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

The audio for this left me laughing out loud. The lobster parts were my favorite. Sarah checked every box with this book. Funny, mysterious, romantic and inspiring. One of my top favorite books I’ve read lately! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

I really enjoyed French Holiday by Sarah Ready. The main characters Sophie and Noah, were believable and could very easily have been a friends of mine - just the type of characters I love reading about.

After introducing her beloved by everyone sister, Angela, to her best friend and the object of her (unknown to him) affection, Leo, Sophie must watch Leo and Angela get married. She is given the opportunity to go to France by her godmother and she jumps at the distraction, only to find Leo's BFF, Noah, also a resident. Their relationship grows into friendship and more from there.

Ms. Ready is able to capture the emotions of the characters and bring them to life in a way that I find most people can relate to and has the ability to make you laugh and cry before you hit the last page.

I loved her lush descriptions of France and the believable timeline of Sophie's character getting over Leo and falling in love with Noah.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I could not put it down once I started. I am so glad I got the opportunity to read this book. The cover is what kept grabbing my attention to start with and I was not disappointed by the inside either! It was a lively coming into oneself story with some love and fun and a little mystery. Sarah Ready did a wonderful job painting the picture of a getaway to France! I highly recommend reading this one!

I just kept loving this story more and more as I read. Just when you think you know where the author is going with the rom com vibes (enemies to lovers/forced proximity/only one bed tropes), she weaves in a gothic romance/mystery element as well. As much as I loved Merry and Noah, I also loved the side characters - Camille was hilarious and adorable, Jupiter was fabulous, wise, and kooky but LOUIS STOLE MY HEART! 🦞

A nice story of a man and a woman who get to know each other better at a French chateau. The woman was sent to the chateau by her godmother after losing her job. The man rented the chateau from the godmother. It looks like a setup.

Sarah Ready is the one author that I wish every rom com lover knew about. I absolutely love her books. This book made my day! The heroine, Merry, was a delightful character on a journey of self discovery when her spoiled sister married the only man she's every loved. He also happened to be her best friend. She ends up getting stuck in a broken down castle in France with the best man--a guy she happens to dislike. This is where the hilarious adventure begins. This book brought me laughter, a little bit of mystery and ALL the feels. It was well written with excellent character development--especially Merry-and hot chemistry between the hero and heroine. I enjoyed this one very much. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!

Oh, man. French Holiday by Sarah Ready was a stay-up-all-night type of book. Merry, a 28 year old people pleaser is in love with her best friend, Leo. Unfortunately, Leo fell for Merry’s sister. Enter Noah, a broody, angsty, rude travel documentarian. By happenstance, Merry and Noah end up at a chateau in France together (not as obscure as it sounds). Both have entirely different purposes for their summer; Merry’s is to overcome unrequited love and Noah’s is to find a missing French artist.

Ultimate slow burn! The protagonist’s banter was so funny and enjoyable. Louis, the lobster, was hilarious!!

This is my first Sarah Ready novel but it definitely will not be my last.

I really liked this book! I loved the French aesthetic, being in a run down old castle in the French wine country is my summer fantasy :)
As a romance, I thought Noah and Merry had a sweet story from about the 30% mark to the end. The first third of the book, however, I didn't love their interactions. Noah calls out Merry's unrequited love with her brother-in-law, and doesn't really offer her a kind word or gesture throughout the first part of the book. Now, for enemies-to-lovers, the antagonism was pretty tame, I didn't feel one character was particularly terrible to the other, but I just didn't see the transition part. Noah was kinda cold to Merry, and Merry didn't want to understand him at all, the first third of the book, then all of a sudden Merry is totally into Noah, and Noah is being nice (kinda) but still keeping up walls and boundaries so he doesn't become the rebound (understandable). I just had a hard time seeing that transition.
The second part of the book, the last two- thirds, were sweet and funny and mysterious and kept me reading for several straight hours without realizing it. I really liked Noah and Merry, individually and together, in this part. One thing I like about reformed enemies is that they already kinda know the worst parts of each other, leaving a love that is very honest and dedicated.
Overall, very cute and dreamy and intriguing story.
Thanks for the ARC!!!

I absolutely loved this. I went in expecting to be interested but not fully invested and I couldn't have been more wrong! Merry's life begins to fall apart when her long-time crush marries her sister. After a domino of setbacks, she decides to take her godmother up on a request to stay at her chateau in France. Unfortunately, her godmother also rented out the place to her now crush-in-law's best friend (and her current nemesis.) Hilarity, romance and lobsters ensue. I already ordered it for the library and can't wait to recommend it.